Rotary cable management system for sensor platforms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11757273-B2
Application number	US-202217700010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2022
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

Cable management systems for rotatable sensors on an autonomous vehicle (AV) are described herein. In some examples, a rotatable cable assembly can include a first portion having a spool, a sidewall surrounding the spool to form a cavity, and a shaft extending from the spool; a second portion coupled to the shaft and configured to rotate relative to the first portion; a flexible cable stored by the spool in a coiled configuration within the cavity; a first circuit on the first portion including a first connector coupled to an end of the flexible cable and configured to connect to components on an AV and/or a sensor platform base that is coupled to the AV and includes the rotary cable assembly; and a second circuit on the second portion including a second connector coupled to another end of the flexible cable and configured to rotate with the second portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a sensor positioning platform comprising a sensor carrier structure rotatably coupled to a base, wherein the sensor carrier structure comprises one or more sensors and the base comprises an actuator system configured to rotate the sensor carrier structure relative to the base;
a rotary cable assembly on the sensor positioning platform, the rotary cable assembly comprising a spool, a sidewall surrounding the spool to form a cavity therein, and a shaft extending from the spool, a flexible electrical cable stored by the spool in a coiled configuration within the rotary cable assembly, and a circuit board; and
one or more electrical cables connecting the one or more sensors on the sensor carrier structure to a connector on the circuit board of the rotary cable assembly.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the rotary cable assembly comprises the spool, wherein the first portion of the rotary cable assembly remains stationary relative to the sensor carrier structure when the sensor carrier structure is rotated by the actuator system.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the flexible electrical cable is configured to provide at least one of power and data connectivity to the one or more sensors on the sensor carrier structure, wherein the flexible electrical cable is configured to tighten or loosen when a first portion of the rotary cable assembly and the circuit board rotate around an axis of a second portion of the rotary cable assembly that includes the spool, and wherein the flexible electrical cable tightens or loosens at least partly based on a rotation of the sensor carrier structure.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rotary cable assembly is located on a portion of the base that remains stationary relative to the sensor carrier structure when the sensor carrier structure is moved or repositioned by the actuator system.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein a first portion of the rotary cable assembly and the circuit board rotate around an axis of a second portion of the rotary cable assembly at least partly based on a rotation of the sensor carrier structure, and wherein the second portion of the rotary cable assembly includes the spool.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the flexible electrical cable is configured to tighten or loosen at least partly based on the rotation of the sensor carrier structure.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more electrical cables connect the one or more sensors on the sensor carrier structure to the connector on the circuit board via at least one connector on the sensor carrier structure that is electrically coupled to the connector via at least one electrical cable.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second connector on at least one of the circuit board or a second circuit board on the rotary cable assembly, wherein the second connector is configured to connect to one or more electrical components on at least one of the base and an autonomous vehicle via a second rotary cable assembly on the sensor positioning platform.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the second rotary cable assembly comprises:
a second spool;
a second portion coupled to a shaft and configured to rotate with respect to the spool;
a second flexible electrical cable stored by the second spool in the coiled configuration;
the second circuit board comprising the second connector electrically coupled to one end of the second flexible electrical cable, the second connector being configured to connect to the one or more electrical components on at least one of the base and the autonomous vehicle; and
a third circuit board comprising a third connector electrically coupled to a different end of the second flexible electrical cable, the third circuit board being configured to rotate with the second portion of the second rotary cable assembly.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator system comprises a motor configured to move and reposition the sensor carrier structure and the one or more sensors on the sensor carrier structure during an operation of a vehicle associated with the sensor positioning platform.

11. A rotary cable assembly comprising:
a first portion having a spool and a shaft extending from the spool;
a second portion coupled to the shaft, the second portion being configured to rotate with respect to the first portion, a flexible electrical cable stored by the spool in a coiled configuration within the first portion; and
one or more circuit boards comprising one or more connectors electrically coupled to the flexible electrical cable and one or more electrical components on a sensor positioning platform.

12. The rotary cable assembly of claim 11 , wherein a circuit board of the one or more circuit boards is configured to rotate with the second portion, and wherein a connector of the one or more connectors is configured to connect to one or more sensors on a sensor carrier structure of the sensor positioning platform via one or more electrical cables.

13. The rotary cable assembly of claim 12 , wherein the actuator system is configured to rotate the sensor carrier structure relative to at least part of a base, and wherein the first portion of the rotary cable assembly remains stationary relative to the sensor carrier structure when the sensor carrier structure is rotated by the actuator system.

14. The rotary cable assembly of claim 11 , wherein the flexible electrical cable comprises a flexible printed circuit configured to provide power and data connectivity to one or more sensors on a sensor carrier structure of the sensor positioning platform.

15. The rotary cable assembly of claim 14 , wherein the flexible printed circuit is configured to tighten or loosen when the second portion of the rotary cable assembly and a circuit board of the one or more circuit boards rotate around an axis of the first portion of the rotary cable assembly, and wherein the flexible printed circuit tightens or loosens at least partly based on a rotation of the sensor carrier structure.

16. The rotary cable assembly of claim 11 , wherein the rotary cable assembly is located on a portion of a base of the sensor positioning platform that remains stationary relative to a sensor carrier structure of the sensor positioning platform when the sensor carrier structure is moved or repositioned by an actuator system on the base, wherein the second portion of the rotary cable assembly and a circuit board of the one or more circuit boards rotate around an axis of the first portion of the rotary cable assembly at least partly based on a rotation of the sensor carrier structure.

17. A method comprising:
mounting a sensor positioning platform to a vehicle, the sensor positioning platform comprising a sensor carrier structure rotatably coupled to a base, wherein the sensor carrier structure comprises one or more sensors and the base comprises an actuator system configured to rotate the sensor carrier structure relative to the base;
mounting a rotary cable assembly to the sensor positioning platform, the rotary cable assembly comprising a spool, a flexible electrical cable stored by the spool in a coiled configuration within the rotary cable assembly, and a circuit board; and
connecting the one or more sensors on the sensor carrier structure to a connector of the circuit board.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a first portion of the rotary cable assembly comprises the spool, wherein the first portion of the rotary cable assembly remains stationary relative to the sensor carrier structure wh

Assignees

• Gm Cruise Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Herse Nathaniel Barrett
• Lo Roger

Classifications

• G01S13/426 Primary

  Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar (G01S13/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02G11/02 Primary

  using take-up reel or drum · CPC title

• H05K2201/10151

  Sensor · CPC title

• H05K2201/10189

  Non-printed connector · CPC title

• H05K1/147

  at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit (H05K1/148 takes precedence) · CPC title